The Thing About Rules And Writing

September 13, 2016

And if you've been writing for awhile, I been you've heard a lot too - the same ones and others.

I wrote a story a couple years ago. I got it through the first draft. I was writing it for a contest, and I tried to follow the guidelines that would make it win. I looked it over a few times. I was a newbie writer. And then I edited that story.

I ripped that story to scraps - taking out every weasel word, trying to remove every adverb, trying to follow every single rule that I knew, and following them to the very letter.

I sent it to some friends and let my family read it. They said it was good. I thought it was good. But something felt ... off. Wrong. I didn't really love this story.

And then, after the contest had ended (I hadn't won, obviously XD) and I began writing a story that I really loved, I realized what I had done wrong last time.

I was trying to win a contest. I was writing only to win that contest. I was writing a story that I enjoyed writing, yes - but I wasn't writing the story that I really loved and wanted to tell.

Of course, that was only part - I mean, it's still possible that I could still write a good story, even if it wasn't a story that I was feeling as connected too it as I could have been, no?

WELL ... I also made another mistake.

I followed every rule to the letter and took thepieces of me out of my story. I wasn't writing the way I wanted to write any more.

And turns out that this learning experience was vital for me.

I learned that (GUESS WHAT) you don't need to follow the rules.

Well, okay, let me rephrase that: you don't need to follow the rules all the time.

You don't need to take out every single weasel word. You don't need to remove all the adverbs. You can tell instead of show - sometimes you need to.

Yes, the rules definitely aren't always necessary to keep. Especially that 'show don't tell.' Urgh, that one gets me a lot. :P If you show TOO much, then the writing is weighed down, creating something else that they tell you to avoid: weasel words. I read a great post on that subject: https://craftingstoriesinred.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/show-dont-tell-rule-is-it-a-necessity/

A writer should DEFINITELY not mind the rules so much that it erases the pieces of them in the story; their own personal touch that makes their writing and writing voice unique. That would be sad.

AND THAT STORY YOU TOLD. Okay. Wow. So I don't know if you read my comment on Ink Blots and Coffee Stains or not, but if you didn't, here's a little background: This past Camp NaNo I wrote over 20,000 words. But they were written in a story that I didn't really love: a story I wanted to get out of the way for the sake of experience. I didn't truly love it - not really. But I felt that it was going to turn out terrible, which would mean spoiling the story I did love. So I didn't write that story; I wrote a different one that I was never really attached to, and because of that, it had no worldbuilding and weak characters and plot, because I didn't want to make the effort to brainstorm for it, since it didn't matter to me much.

Okay. Rant pretty much over. Sorry for making you listen to all that. xD ANYWAY. I've learned my lesson now, and I'm going to be writing something I really love for this upcoming NaNo, and I'm really excited. :D

That sort of sidetracked from the entire point of your post. Sorry. xP

"I followed every rule to the letter and took the pieces of me out of my story."

*bows down before you writing genius* BUT REALLY THO. It is our duty as writers to first and foremost love what we are doing, and never conform our novel to fit into the "rules". What makes our novel unique is the fact that we wrote it, and when you make it so you can't even tell who wrote it anymore, when you take away the passion and love and excitement that you have poured into it, then you take away what makes it great.

Yes - writing rules can sometimes squash the unique-ness out of our writing. AND that really isn't very good. We want to stick out in the sea of ALL the writer's, so we have to be different to do that. And sometimes that means not following the rules XD.

This is so right on! I know that I can sometimes feel badly if I put an adverb in my story because it's "bad storytelling" and I feel as if I'm cheating. But the truth is that not all rules need to be kept 100% of the time. Like you said, break them like a pro!;)Awesome post!-Emma-

Thank you, Emma! Yeah - I feel guilty using adverbs too XD. But luckily I learned that a story actually DOES need adverbs. Just ... ya know, not ten on every single page. Moderation helped me with that :D.

Oh yeah, definitely! I think that's when it crosses a line. Once every now and then is okay, but some people rely on them to add description consistently, when they really need to use stronger verbs.;)-Emma-

Yes yes and yes do this post -- lovely, Savannah! ^_^ I've been thinking a lot on this subject lately myself. :) I did a post on my book blog the other day about a speech I read/saw which had some great things to say about breaking rules and stuff. It was very inspiring. ^_^ Anyways, I loved your post! Thanks for sharing! :)

Wonderfully said!!! I think we can get so fixed on "following the rules" that our stories become bland and unoriginal. It can block our creativity and take away our unique writing voices.

"Learn the rules and break 'em like a pro." <--- YES. I think it's super important to know the rules. My books were monstrosities back in the days when I knew next to no writing rules. BUT, when I'm being so careful trying to do the rules, I lose my creativity and it comes off as awkward and boring. The key for me is to know the rules, and keep them slightly at the back of my mind, but to let my own voice through. And, I've found, if I just let myself write and have fun, I end up following the rules in the end! It's when I TRY to follow the rules that my writing looks stilted.

And I'm just babbling! All that to say, I loved this post! It's very inspiring and something all writers need to here from time to time I think.

YES sometimes I feel like I have to follow ALL the rules. Luckily this is not the case XD.

Yup, mine was the same way. The dialogue was stinted and stuff felt off, despite how many times I went over it. But I was tired of rules by the time I started writing Killing Snow and simply said 'I'M DOING WHAT I WANT WITH THIS ONE'. And it turned out much better XD.